China

Xu Erwen on the potential opportunities ahead in the 2019 China – NZ Year of Tourism.

Te Papa will host the official 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism opening ceremony on 20 February next year.

Destination Queenstown is gearing up for next week’s inaugural China Tourism Exchange travelling to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Chengdu which comes ahead of next year’s China-New Zealand Year of Tourism.

Waitomo Glowworm Caves celebrated New Zealand Chinese Language Week last week by hosting a group of Chinese photographers in a rare photography workshop within Ruakuri Cave.

The growth of customised tours for Chinese visitors to New Zealand has been given a boost by a new memorandum of understanding between Tourism New Zealand and Ctrip Customized Travel.

The prize is an all-expenses paid visit for five winners to China’s third largest city of Guangzhou.

The Auckland-based operator is looking to boost its Chinese customer experience across its five NZ sites.

Queenstown’s Regional Tourism Organisation is to lead a delegation of local tourism businesses and officials to China in an inaugural event ahead of next year’s China-New Zealand Year of Tourism.

Leading industry players including Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport and NZ Māori Tourism have stepped up to sponsor New Zealand Chinese Language Week 2018.

The 2,300-year-old Terracotta Warriors are coming to Wellington this summer in a $2.6m exhibition at Te Papa.

Chinese travellers rank New Zealand as one of the top destinations they would love to visit in the next 12 months according to a new survey from Hotels.com.

WREDA has ramped up its China marketing effort with its first Mandarin-speaking specialist hire.

A new ‘Team Wellington’ initiative has provided funding of $2.5m for the promotion of the capital in overseas markets.

TNZ has renewed its strategic cooperation agreement with Asian online travel agency Ctrip in the lead-up to 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism.

7,900 scenic cruises, 6,200 Coronet Peak dinners, 730 bungee jumps and Nevis swings, hundreds of tourist flights – Amway China’s incentive injection.

A new partnership aimed at unlocking potential from NZ’s growing Chinese visitor market has been unveiled by Christchurch Airport and Auckland’s regional tourism organisation.

Christchurch International Airport is deepening its push into the Chinese visitor market using a travel website linked to e-commerce giant Alibaba.

The i-SITE network has released a Chinese version of their popular New Zealand touring map for the first time this month.

The Chinese market is expected to return to double-digit growth following a period of falling visitor arrival numbers.

New Zealand Māori Tourism is welcoming a high profile Chinese delegation, led by Mr Li Shihong, Vice Chairman China National Tourism Administration, to Wellington today.

Tourism will feature as one of the key discussion points at next month’s New Zealand China Mayoral Forum. 

Investment in New Zealand tourism wil be on the agenda for a delegation of mayors from China representing around 80 million people.

Chinese tourists are seeking more authentic food and entertainment experiences and spending less on luxury shopping and package holidays, according to new research by real estate agency CBRE.

The partnership between Christchurch Airport and China Southern Airlines is going from strength to strength and helping boost tourism and trade for the South Island. 

China is set to overtake New Zealand as Australia’s biggest source of international visitors within months if current trends continue.

The sixth annual Chinese International Travel Monitor released by Hotels.com has revealed that Chinese travellers are spending a whopping 28 per cent of their income on average on international travel.

The New Zealand tourism industry is well positioned for a wave of Chinese investment in tourism assets, according to Deloitte Access Economics.

Sichuan Airlines’ new Auckland route provides New Zealand’s first direct connection to south west China

The ‘China Ready & Accredited’ system has launched in New Zealand with Tourism Holdings Limited becoming the first company here to earn the seal of approval.

Chinese internet giant Tencent has partnered with Christchurch agency Alexanders paving the way for tourism operators to reach FIT Chinese

Auckland is gearing up to seize opportunities created by the official bilateral ‘China-New Zealand Year of Tourism’ in 2019.

Chinese international tourism spend grew by 12% in 2016 to reach $372bn.

A unique new honey centre is to be built in Queenstown to tap into rising demand from Chinese visitors for the local delicacy.

The Bus & Coach Association has hit back at government comments encouraging Chinese visitors off tours and into independent travel.

Tourism is on a tear with no sign of slowing, driven by ever-higher numbers of Chinese tourists, right? Actually, no.

The 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism offers opportunities for the tourism industry to forge closer links in China

Trade missions, marketing campaigns, airline partnerships and business, academic and cultural exchanges could follow the signing of the 2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism initiative.

Air services to New Zealand from China have been boosted by 20% and measures to facilitate easier travel for Chinese visitors have been launched.

Spending by Chinese visitors plummeted by more than a quarter over summer, according to Marketview.

New Zealand has been named a Destination of the Year by Qyer, a major Chinese free independent traveller online community with 80 million users.

Auckland Airport welcomes the announcement that Sichuan Airlines will start flying between Auckland and Chengdu in China from June this year.

Chinese New Year spending dropped 10% across New Zealand compared to the corresponding holiday period last year, according to Marketview.

Hotel occupancy across New Zealand dropped markedly for Chinese New Year in 2017, even in the country’s major resort town of Queenstown.

Booming Chinese visitor numbers present a huge opportunity to create new agritourism products and experiences, according to ANZ Bank.